A research on management and organizational practices of ecological farms

The aim of this thesis study is to provide a detailed understanding of the settlement models based on ecological understanding by examining the motivations, managerial and organizational characteristics of ecological farms operating in the field of agriculture and tourism in the Mediterranean and Aegean Regions. In the thesis study, firstly the concepts and applications related to ecological life were discussed and then the results of the research on seven ecological farms which are included in the TaTuTa project were included. According to the findings obtained from the interviews with the founders of the farms and the explanations on the web pages, ecological farms with the characteristics of small family businesses were established as an eco-enterprise. Founders who internalize environmental values ​​have eco- entrepreneurial characteristics. Agricultural production in ecological farms is carried out in accordance with the characteristics of the soil and local conditions. Ecological tourism is implemented in a way to include nature-based, environment-protective, educational, income- generating, participatory and local partners, and efforts are made to spread the awareness of ecological life through various educational activities. It is seen that the farms, which carry out ecological agriculture, ecological tourism and education activities in an integrated manner, adopt an organization and operating model that is compatible with their existential philosophies. Basic business functions are carried out by the nuclear family; low hierarchy, informal communication and interaction are essential. Apart from the risks of being dependent on nature, the most important problems are the difficulties in management of large lands, the need for qualified personnel, the increasing costs due to constantly increasing energy and input prices, making it difficult to compete with conventional products.